


What happens in an abandoned lodge

by thudworm



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fills [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Getting Together, Hurt Tony, M/M, Pining, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 07:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5365895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thudworm/pseuds/thudworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Steve and Tony, "We're in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you're totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here."</p>
            </blockquote>





	What happens in an abandoned lodge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bubbysbub](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubbysbub/gifts).



> This is the first fic I've written for this ship, and this fandom, but it definitely won't be the last. Feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks to [bubbysbub](http://www.bubbysbub.tumblr.com) for the prompt.

This was not good. This was very not good. He'd thought the suit was stable enough to make the journey home safely. He was wrong. All of the alerts and alarms vying for his attention added up to the inescapable conclusion that they had to land. Now.  
  
Tony had offered Steve a lift home post-mission, because there had been an unmistakable air of tension between the rest of their team and their leader. Tony didn't know what or who was the cause, he'd been too busy extracting himself and his damaged suit from the remains of the building he'd had collapse on him to notice, but it had been clear as day that some distance and time to cool of was in the best interests of all involved. So, he had made the suggestion, which was gratefully accepted, and now he was really regretting it.  

“Hold on to your shield! This isn't going to be a smooth landing!”

Almost immediately after he finished voicing the warning, they made contact with the ground the hard way. Once Tony was able to extricate himself from the suit he started cursing the unfairness of the universe, because while he was feeling incredibly battered and bruised, Steve looked none the worse for wear. Aside from the layer of dirt covering his uniform, there was no sign of the rough impact that had left Tony feeling very sorry for himself.

While Steve was checking out their surroundings, Tony gave himself a quick once-over. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have sustained any serious injury in the crash-landing, but there was some bruising, especially to his ribs, that he was going to be feeling the effects of for days, if not weeks.

“What’s the word, Cap?”

“There’s a small cabin about a 5 minute walk that way,” Steve replied, pointing. “It will give us decent shelter and, if we’re lucky, there's probably even food. We should be fine until the others come to find us."

Tony couldn't help the loud snort of disbelief that he made in response to that. "We're in an abandoned lodge in the middle of nowhere. Sure, you're totally right, nothing bad could ever happen here. This is like the start of every B-grade horror flick ever made"

It wasn't like it could possibly take days before they were found by the others. It wasn't like he would most likely be forced to go days without coffee or any connection to the outside world, excepting whatever limited functionality he might be able to coax from the ruins of his suit. And it certainly wasn't like he was faced with the prospect of spending a lot of time alone with the man he had been hopelessly in love with for months now.

Not that spending time with Steve was a hardship at all, but so much time together without any work to do or any of their teammates to provide a buffer did increase the likelihood of Tony screwing it all up by saying something to give away his feelings. He pushed all that to the side to deal with when he had some privacy, and focused on the practical side.

“C’mon, make yourself useful and help me haul this pile of scrap inside.”

Tony knew first hand just how heavy it was to lift and maneuver several hundred pounds worth of Iron Man armour, but Steve made it look like it was nothing at all to pick it up and make his way inside. Which was, quite frankly, impressive, and Tony tried (and failed) to convince himself that this was neither the time nor the place for admiring his teammate’s form.

He followed Steve inside the the small lodge and directed Steve on where to set the armour down. He had a basic set of tools stored behind one of the torso panels for situations such as this, and immediately began working on pulling the armour apart. It took no time at all for the floor around him to be covered with discarded components and wires as he salvaged what was still functional or could be used to construct something else.

*

Tony quickly lost himself in the work, paying no attention to what Steve was doing or how long he had been at it. It was only when Steve placed a hand on his shoulder that he brought himself out of his focused state, confused as to why there was less light coming in through the window than he remembered. The light from the arc reactor was enough to see by in the dark, but it wouldn’t be enough for him to continue working once the sun had set.

“I’m sorry for distracting you, but I figured that if I didn’t you’d keep going until you were done with whatever it is you’re doing. You need to take a break, have something to eat.”

“How long was I at it? And is there even anything edible in this middle of nowhere cabin?”

“About an hour, maybe an hour and a half. While you were engrossed in your armour I went looking through the place. There’s no power, but I found a flashlight and some batteries that will hopefully last as long as we need. There’s no problem with clean water, and in the kitchen I found an assortment of canned food. It won’t be the best meal either of us has ever had, but I know it’ll be a lot better than the worst I’ve had to make do with.”

“Can’t argue with you there Cap. Could definitely do a lot worse than whatever’s in those mystery cans. The flashlight is perfect, exactly what I need. I could just about kiss you for finding it.”

Tony immediately regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. He went to stand so he could turn and run from the awkward situation he had created, only to remember a second too late about his battered and bruised ribs. He’d been distracted from the pain of his injuries while he had been working, and the sudden movement in the wrong way quickly reminded him. Spending more than an hour sitting in one position on the hard floor was also probably not the smartest choice he’d made today.

Steve moved to help support him, but Tony avoided eye contact and waved him off with a few mumbled reassurances that it was nothing, he was fine. Steve made no mention of Tony’s thoughtless comment, which he was infinitely grateful for.

They had no way to heat their dinner, not without risking setting fire to the house. Tony offered to attempt it outside, but Steve had just given him an unimpressed look and pointed out the likelihood of him setting the surrounding trees on fire instead.

They ate mostly in silence, with quiet grumbling from Tony about how it would be much better if his repulsors hadn’t also been damaged in the crash landing, both trying to get through the unappetising meal as quickly as possible. Once they had eaten as much as they were willing to stomach, Steve seemed at a bit of a loss for what to do with himself.

“Do… Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not really, no. It’s pretty much a one person job, and it’d take longer for me to explain than to just do it myself. And seeing as we want to be found sooner rather than later, yeah.”

Tony hated the dejected expression that Steve was trying not to show, and without thinking about it, he started rambling, trying to find come up with something to say to make it better.

“Well, I suppose there is one important role to fill- I need someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of. Usually I have JARVIS to talk to, or the bots. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t have the faintest idea of what I’m blathering on about, I mean, it’s not like DUM-E or U ever even bother to listen to orders, let alone whatever I’m talking about. It’s good having them around though. Talking to them is better than just talking to myself, that tends to result in people giving me weird looks, even though it generally gets politely ignored on account of the whole ‘eccentric genius billionaire’ schtick. Plenty of people have accused me of liking the sound of my own voice, and I can’t exactly prove them wrong about that. You can tell me to shut up any time now, or else I’ll just keep going.”

“It’s alright Tony, I like hearing you talk about your work. You’re always so passionate about it, and even though a lot of the time I only understand every fifth word, I could listen to you for hours.”

And shit, Steve was looking at him with such earnestness, saying things like out of his dreams. He was not ready to deal with this, especially here and now, where he had no options for strategic retreat. He had to change the subject before he said something stupid to give away how he felt.

“I didn't ask before, but what exactly was it that had your star-spangled underwear in a twist?”

The expression Steve directed at him in response was one Tony was familiar with. It seemed that anyone who willingly spent more than 5 minutes at a time around him developed the ability to make that face at him, the one that said ‘you are completely ridiculous and drive me up the wall, but for some reason I still like you.’ Rhodey and Pepper had perfected that look years ago, Bruce had learned, and now it seemed that Steve had as well.

“Just some things that Clint had to say. Nothing bad, just not what I wanted to have being said, especially not then and there. And before you ask- no, I'm not going to tell you, and no, do not ask Clint yourself when they come for us.”

That there was Stubborn Face, and Tony knew he wouldn't be able to get Steve to give in and tell him no matter what he tried. Clint would be much easier to break, especially if he dangled a reward in the form of new tech. Instead of saying anything in response, Tony made the most exaggerated pouty face he could manage, which worked as intended to lighten the mood and make Steve laugh.

“Fine. What do you want to talk about then?”

“Can you explain to me what it is you’re trying to do with the armour? I know I won’t really understand any of it, but like I said, I enjoy hearing about it. What’s the end goal of what you’re trying to do?”

“Don’t feel bad about not getting this stuff, Cap. I think just about the only person right now who wouldn’t need an instruction manual to follow along would be Rhodey, ‘cos he’s got a suit of his own. Anyway, in layman's terms, I’m trying to put together something that will enable the others to find us. All of the communication equipment is too badly damaged for me to be able to fix it easily with what I have on hand, but I should be able to cobble together a homing beacon of sorts, to point them in the right direction.”

“How long do you think it will take for them to find the signal?”

“Depends on how long it takes for them to even start searching for us. I don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to attending debriefings on time, or blowing them off completely to go get doughnuts or whatever.”

Steve laughed at that. “You might not have the best reputation with SHIELD, but I do. I’m pretty sure my absence will be enough of a red flag to tip them off, especially when they can’t get into contact with either of us.”

“That’s a fair point. Unless, of course, I’ve decided to turn to the dark side. And what could be a better start to my career as a supervillain than kidnapping Captain America for some dastardly purpose?”

“You really don’t think people would be that quick to believe you could be evil?”

“I’m pretty sure that SHIELD considers me turning to the dark side to be more a case of when, not if. Honestly, I’d be surprised if they didn’t have some sort of contingency plan in place, ready to go the minute I start cackling manically.”

Steve just shook his head at that. “Regardless of what SHIELD does or doesn’t think about you, I know that you’re a good man. With or without the suit of armour.”

Tony had no idea how to reply to that. By unspoken mutual agreement, they never brought up what had been said on the helicarrier when they first met. But now Steve was mentioning it, talking so earnestly about Tony being a good man, and he had no way respond that wouldn’t end up in him embarrassing himself. So, he went with a tried and true method of avoiding conversations he didn’t want to have and deflected.

“Right. Well. I think that’s about as much as I’m able to do with that for tonight at least. As far as I can tell, the beacon is functioning as it should, although I should be able to improve the range significantly when I can actually properly see what I’m doing by full lighting. You were the one to go poking around the place earlier, so lead on to the bedrooms, Cap.”

“Bedroom.” Steve spoke so quietly that Tony had trouble hearing him. Surely he’d misheard or misunderstood. There was no way the universe would be cruel enough to make him share a bed with Steve, just the once, so he would have an even clearer idea of what he wanted but could never have.

“I didn’t quite catch that.”

Steve was avoiding eye contact with him, and surely that couldn’t be a blush that Tony could see creeping up the back of Steve’s neck. When he spoke, though, it was without any sign of hesitance. “Not bedrooms. Bedroom, singular. We’re going to have to share. I hope that’s not a problem for you.”

Tony forced a smile and responded with a deliberately light tone.“Of course not, as long as you don’t steal all of the blankets. Fair warning- I’ve been told I tend to talk in my sleep, so sorry in advance if that wakes you up.”

“Why am I not surprised to hear that about you?” Steve responded with a grin, and Tony let out a small chuckle. He could do this. He and Steve were friends first and foremost, and he wouldn’t let his massive crush ruin that now.

*

The bed wasn’t as large as the Tony’s own (not many were), but it was still big enough to comfortably fit two full-grown men. They had both decided against having a shower despite still being covered in the effects of the rough contact with the ground. Even though there was plenty of water, they had no way to heat it, and the feeling of being clean wasn’t worth shivering through a cold shower.

“Are you planning on sleeping fully dressed like that?” Steve asked him. Tony turned around to face him, but any answer he might have made died on his tongue at the sight of Steve standing there wearing nothing but his underwear.

It wasn’t like this was the first time Tony had seen Steve in a state of undress before, but this felt different. More intimate. They were alone in a bedroom, a far cry from just catching an accidental glimpse in the locker-room. He could really do with that cold shower right about now.

With his brain running on auto-pilot, Tony began the painful process of removing his own clothes. The pants were easy enough, but having to lift his arms above his head to remove his shirt proved harder. He got halfway before he had to stop for a second to just breath, then suddenly there were hands on him, pulling the shirt the rest of the way in one simple movement.

Those same hands didn’t move away once his shirt was gone. They stayed touching his chest, as softly as possible, as Steve traced the pattern of black, blue, and purple mottled skin.

“I hate seeing you hurt like this.” Steve murmured as his hands continued their exploration of Tony. Tony couldn’t help the involuntary flinch he made when Steve’s touching strayed too close to the arc reactor in the centre of his chest. Tony caught Steve’s hands in his own before he could retreat and placed them directly onto the reactor.

“It’s okay. I trust you. I’d say I don’t know why, but that would be a lie. I know exactly why I trust you.”

Steve sat down heavily on the bed, not breaking eye contact with Tony. The silence between them was heavy, but Tony was unwilling to be the one to speak first. He’d already said far too much, been far too open with his emotions. The next step had to come from Steve, and he hoped that he wasn’t wrong in reading the mix of emotions on Steve’s face.

“I love you.”

Three simple little words. Tony had been dreaming of hearing them from Steve, and now he had. He reached out to touch Steve’s face, cupping his jaw on each side, before leaning in to kiss him. It was a simple, almost chaste, kiss, but no less meaningful than a more passionate kiss would have been.

Tony rested his forehead against Steve’s and looked deeply into those bright blue eyes. “I love you, too.”

*

Tony woke the next morning to find himself lying half on top of Steve, who, it seemed, was very much a cuddler when sharing a bed. “Definitely not a dream then. Good.”

Steve grumbled in his sleep as Tony struggled to extricate himself from the firm grip Steve had on him, but he remained steadfastly asleep. Tony doubted anything short of an explosion would wake him before he was ready.

He got dressed quickly, silently cursing the lack of clean clothes to wear. Usually he had no problem with less than pristine clothes when he was going to tinker, but there was a definite difference between workshop grunge and dirt he had been covered in.

He’d been at it for less than five minutes, trying to decide which method to attempt first to improve the signal range for the beacon, when he heard a very familiar sound coming from outside. There was only one possible person who could be here now, his arrival signalled by the unique sound of repulsors firing.

Tony dropped what he was doing and ran outside to greet his best friend. “Rhodey!”

“Tony! Why is it always you who winds up lost in the middle of nowhere, needing me to come find and rescue you?”

“Aww, did you miss me, honeybear?”

“Of course I did. Why else would I have bothered spend all night searching for your signal? Nice work on that by the way, made it much easier to find you.”

Rhodey pulled Tony into a hug tight enough to put an uncomfortable amount of pressure on his sore ribs, but Tony couldn’t bring himself to care at all about the pain. “You need to stop worrying me like this.”

“I’m fine, sourpatch. Really. Other than being a bit banged up, I’m better than fine.”

“I know that look. What could have possibly happened in the less than a day that you’ve been gone, especially since the only other person you’ve had for company is…”

Tony let Rhodey trail off, the grin he was unable to keep off his face giving it all away, but wanting Rhodey to guess what happened all the same.

“Finally! All of this pining, and it only took the both of you getting lost in the middle of nowhere for the pair of you to figure it out. Maybe there was some merit to Barton’s suggestion of looking you two into a closet together and not letting you out.”

Tony would have argued against that idea, but he wasn’t able to come up with any reason why that plan wouldn’t have worked. All it had really taken for he and Steve to open up was taking away their ability to avoid having a proper conversation.

“The closet idea better have involved nicer food than what we were forced to stoop to is all I have to say about that. You wouldn’t by any chance have brought anything decent to eat would you?”

Tony made the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage, but Rhodey was unmoved. “Sure, let me just check all these storage spaces built in.”

“Even if there was storage space in the armour, you just would have let Hammer jam it full of more defective weapons.” Tony grumbled. It was a familiar disagreement between them, and they both knew better than to take any of it seriously. Rhodey just ignored it completely this time.

“I’ve sent the others our location and they’re about half an hour out in the quinjet. I’m sure you can last that long for food. Plenty of time for you give me the full story of how you two finally got your act together and got together.” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [tumblr](http://www.thudworm.tumblr.com). Feel free to leave a prompt in my askbox, or just come talk to me about these two dorks in love.


End file.
